Eloping to Paris? It really does happen. Here’s how
Twenty-three-year-old Jaymee Martin’s parents don’t know she’s married. Neither do her five siblings. “I think about it in the shower,” says Jaymee, “when I’m going to tell them.” Not that her family hasn’t met Nicolas, the man she eloped with in April; not that they doubt he’s “the one.” But her brother is getting married [...]
In it to win it
When Tim and Dory Doyle made their grand entrance into their wedding reception three months ago, one honored guest almost stole the spotlight. “You can actually rent the Hokie bird for $200,” says Dory, who managed every aspect of the big day. The feathered Virginia Tech mascot preceded them into the Farmington ballroom to the [...]
25 essential Charlottesville experiences for real locals
Dome Room at the Rotunda At the risk of sounding cocky, C-VILLE knows a little something about what it takes to be a true resident of this here city. After all, we’ve been Charlottesville insiders for 20 years now. Some of our staff were born and raised here, others were transplanted long ago, and some [...]
Natural progression
Not every married couple has the good fortune to meet as teenagers, but when Opal Schooley was 15 and Tony Lechmanski was 16, the two were introduced on the Downtown Mall by Opal’s sister. “The day we met he told me he was going to marry me,” said Opal. “I thought he was joking.” At [...]
Planning your Festival of the Photograph itinerary? Allow us to focus your lenses
There are obvious shortcomings to describing a visual medium in words. Hence this preview of 2009 LOOK3: Charlottesville Festival of the Photograph can only be a snapshot, and a poor one at that. It’s more like a Polaroid (RIP, Polaroid) photo that you’ll have to flap around between June 11 and June 13 before you [...]
The brilliant wedding disguise of Fleisher and Fiske
When a few hundred people gathered on picnic blankets in Esmont at the end of May for an outdoor music festival, pig roast and potluck, only a handful knew they were actually attending the wedding of Jen Fleisher and Jesse Fiske. Having organized “Esmont Rocks” under the auspices of celebrating the host farm’s 35th anniversary, [...]
First comes platonic love, then comes marriage
The first time Michael McElrath met his fiancée Crystal Stevens, he forgot her name. “He never was good with names,” says Crystal. But in September he’ll make up for the memory lapse by giving her his own. Michael was a year ahead of Crystal at UVA and involved in the IMPACT Movement, a national organization [...]
Lit mag gives UVA docs a creative outlet
“A lot of doctors have writer’s block,” says Dr. Daniel Becker, “but they all have stories and they all tell stories.” Think about that the next time you describe your odd symptoms to your physician—they might just end up in her next book. In addition to being the director of UVA’s Center for Biomedical Ethics [...]
Tartuffe; Live Arts, in the DownStage Theater; Through May 23
It is no accident that David Dwyer’s set design for Tartuffe incorporates dramatic, gilded picture frames that stretch from the stage to the Live Arts balcony. Like the title character of Molière’s play, the frames are attractive on the outside and empty on the inside. They are bloated, eye-grabbing symbols of hypocrisy, so it makes [...]
How two independents became a family
Joe Murray met Sarah McIvor in middle school, but it took the two friends until the end of their senior year at Albemarle High to start dating. The timing was not in their favor: Sarah was about to start pursuing Government and African Studies double majors at William & Mary, and Joe was about to [...]
Lucky and luckier
Giving fresh hope to all single barhoppers in town, Suzie Lucca met her husband Chris Schenkkan during a Saturday night out on the Downtown Mall in 2006. When Suzie’s group of friends collided with Chris’s between Zocalo and Blue Light, it didn’t take the girls much urging to join the boys at Zocalo. Suzie Lucca [...]
Meet you at the office
Although Erica Berg and Scott Brennan met in Atlanta, they knew that Charlottesville was the perfect location for their October wedding. Not only is Charlottesville Erica’s “favorite place in the world,” a fondly remembered home to her during her undergrad and law school years at UVA, but it was also a central gathering place for [...]
Thomas Jefferson Center unchains free speech with the 2009 Muzzle Awards
Usually it’s a good thing to receive a free t-shirt and get your name in the paper, but not if you’re a winner of a Muzzle Award from Charlottesville’s Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. Each spring members of the Center’s Board of Trustees decide who should be distinguished (around Mr. Jefferson’s [...]
Local gift suggestions at a glance
•CSA subscription. Buy produce direct from a local farmer. •Year of Cheese from Feast!. A yearly supply of artisanal cheeses and the perfect accompaniments. •Reindeer head made from recycled paper from Blue Ridge Eco Shop •Solar powered battery charger from Blue Ridge Eco Shop •Gourmet chocolates from Gearhart’s •Organic holiday infusions from Pandora •Vegetable, flower [...]
Buy, buy, love!
This is the time of year when we plough through magazines and websites looking for that Perfect Something. What’s Oprah giving to her studio audience this year? What’s Angelina putting in the kids’ stockings? How will I afford the Rolls Royce that Jay-Z is giving Beyoncé on Christmas morning? You won’t, and I’ll tell you [...]
How the West was won
Playwright, novelist and essayist Pearl Cleage has been feted by everyone from Oprah Winfrey to the staff of the Kennedy Center. Her universal appeal resides in her candid and poetic interpretations of gender, race, domestic violence and self-determination in America. Flyin’ West, Cleage’s 1992 play, explores these themes in the context of four African-American female [...]
Way beyond a shadow…
Doubt: A Parable was written by John Patrick Shanley and marks a serious departure for the man who also penned screenplays for Moonstruck and Joe Versus the Volcano.